I remember my first Pride in Honolulu.
It was sad. A ragged and disorganized 'parade,' and a concert in the park that few people attended.
I went to a few more before quitting. I'd go surfing instead of participating. I'd surf in Brazilian-cut shorts instead of baggy Hawaiian style trunks, but that was my only nod to the day. There were a couple years where Dave C and I got totally stinking wasted at McCoy Pavilion, and those days were fun. The events still remained lame, but we .
This year Honolulu Pride almost got canceled because, as the papers say, all the gays were too apathetic to care. Count me in with the ones who just can't give a fuck any more.
The cover story in the Honolulu Weekly is on Pride, and how a straight couple, plus the last volunteer standing from last year, decided to save it this year. Yep. Pride Honolulu is being run by a straight couple. They are "friends of the LGBTQ Community." Which means, they own Fusions, a dirty and run-down club with some of the rudest staff you are likely to come across in any gay bar in this country. It is one of the last after-hours left in the state, so it still gets business, though the bar appears to be completely contemptuous of its clientele. It's bad drag queens and arrogant pseudo-straight strippers until around 1am. They play an hour of dance music, then switch to hip-hop. And not the music of the streets, mind you, but the ear-screeching hip-hop of rich suburban kids.
If I really cared I'd do something about it - though I'm not sure what. I tried to get involved with Volcano, and I'm still sad over my utter and complete failure to get that Board and its Director to do anything creative. I watched D___ suffer trying to bring some hint of coolness or modernity to the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. I watched party promoter Big Tom get hen-pecked and back-stabbed for years by the more established bar owners, until he finally took his business elsewhere.
Every town and city has its velvet mafia. It's a shame that ours is so absolutely fucking dull.
I lied above. I know exactly what I'd do about it all. It's just, I'm not sure if I have the time or desire to go about doing it.
It was sad. A ragged and disorganized 'parade,' and a concert in the park that few people attended.
I went to a few more before quitting. I'd go surfing instead of participating. I'd surf in Brazilian-cut shorts instead of baggy Hawaiian style trunks, but that was my only nod to the day. There were a couple years where Dave C and I got totally stinking wasted at McCoy Pavilion, and those days were fun. The events still remained lame, but we .
This year Honolulu Pride almost got canceled because, as the papers say, all the gays were too apathetic to care. Count me in with the ones who just can't give a fuck any more.
The cover story in the Honolulu Weekly is on Pride, and how a straight couple, plus the last volunteer standing from last year, decided to save it this year. Yep. Pride Honolulu is being run by a straight couple. They are "friends of the LGBTQ Community." Which means, they own Fusions, a dirty and run-down club with some of the rudest staff you are likely to come across in any gay bar in this country. It is one of the last after-hours left in the state, so it still gets business, though the bar appears to be completely contemptuous of its clientele. It's bad drag queens and arrogant pseudo-straight strippers until around 1am. They play an hour of dance music, then switch to hip-hop. And not the music of the streets, mind you, but the ear-screeching hip-hop of rich suburban kids.
If I really cared I'd do something about it - though I'm not sure what. I tried to get involved with Volcano, and I'm still sad over my utter and complete failure to get that Board and its Director to do anything creative. I watched D___ suffer trying to bring some hint of coolness or modernity to the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. I watched party promoter Big Tom get hen-pecked and back-stabbed for years by the more established bar owners, until he finally took his business elsewhere.
Every town and city has its velvet mafia. It's a shame that ours is so absolutely fucking dull.
I lied above. I know exactly what I'd do about it all. It's just, I'm not sure if I have the time or desire to go about doing it.
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